Pan Fried Chicken in a Mushroom Cream Sauce

The poor maligned boneless, skinless, chicken breast.  It needs much attention and fussing over to transform this rather dull and potentially dry cut of meat into a dish fit for a King - or Queen.  The magic of the transformation in my view is twofold. Firstly, a light hand in the frying pan and then a sauce that makes the tastebuds sing. 

The inspiration for this dish came from our recent trip to Paris.  One evening my children ordered Pasta with "Champignons" - having absolutely no idea what  "champignons' were.  Who was I to limit there cultural exposure?  When the pasta arrived they looked crest fallen, but they were game and gave it a try.  This luscious sauce was laced with thick shards of Parmesan and delicately sprinkled with fragrant parsley, it won them over.

Why I recreated this sauce for chicken I'm not sure, probably because the chicken needed using up and it's not an altogether new idea.  I loved making this and my family loved eating it - sadly it's not every day I can claim this.

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Olive oil

1 tablespoon of butter

2-4 tablespoons of all purpose flour seasoned with salt and pepper

2-4 shallots, finely chopped

salt and pepper

2 cloves of garlic, very finely chopped

1/4 cup of white wine

1/4 - 1/2 cup of chicken stock

One basket of mushrooms (I used organic Baby Bella) wiped and sliced

1 tablespoon of heavy cream

In a large saute pan heat the oil and the butter until hot. 

Dry the chicken breasts and dredge them lightly in the flour seasoned with salt and pepper.

Add the shallots to the pan and saute until soft, add the garlic and saute for a further 2 minutes or so, don't let the garlic burn.

Push the shallots and garlic to one side of the pan and add the chicken. Cook the chicken breasts until they are beautifully golden on each side.  Season with a sprinkling of parsley. 

Add the wine and the chicken stock. 

Bring to the boil and turn down to a simmer.

Add the mushrooms, partially cover the chicken with a lid and let the sauce and mushrooms simmer around the chicken until the chicken is cooked through.  These chicken breasts were on the chunky side so it took about 5 - 7 minutes. 

When just cooked through, remove the chicken to a platter and cover.

Add the cream to the sauce and swirl gently until it is incorporated.

Pour the sauce over the chicken and let rest for 5 minutes or so.  Just before you serve it, sprinkle chopped parsley over the top. 

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